This strategy resonates with our call on Meta to impose a global pause on teens’ access to its AI characters in all its apps. This decision comes, in part, to protect teens from the damaging effects of social media on their mental wellbeing. The change comes as the company retools its AI experience, as it improves parental controls first previewed last October.
In the coming weeks, the suspension will begin to apply to all users who self-report as teens. It will affect so-called adults who Meta’s invasive age prediction technology still suspects are teens.
In the weeks ahead, we’ll limit teens from using AI characters on our apps. We want to make sure everyone has an excellent experience, so we’re making some adjustments. This goes for all of you who have given us a teen birthday. It includes those who pretend to be adults, but we think are really teens due to our age prediction software, said Meta in a statement.
The company first implemented parental control options on Instagram earlier this year, with a specific goal of customizing the engagement teens experience from AI avatars. These controls allow parents and guardians to monitor topics and block access to specific characters, ensuring a safer online environment for younger users.
Meta’s decision comes amid ongoing legal challenges. The tech giant’s monopoly is now being put on trial in New Mexico. It is now under the most serious of accusations for failure to protect our country’s children from sexual exploitation on its platforms. In a separate trial, Meta faces similar accusations of making young users addicted to social media. Indicating the alarming nature of these allegations, none other than Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s CEO, is expected to testify during the New Mexico trial.
In response to all of this, competitors are changing their game plans as well. Character.AI recently declared that it, too, will pivot to providing interactive stories for children rather than open ended chat functionality. OpenAI’s new safety regulations on its ChatGPT platform. These regulations likely include an obligation to predict the age of users to enforce content restrictions appropriately.
Meanwhile, Meta is preparing to release new-and-improved versions of its AI avatars. At the same time, the company has been under increasing scrutiny for its role in the safety and mental health of its younger users. The upcoming trials could significantly impact the company’s reputation and operational policies.
The global tech journalist Ivan Mehta, due to the global consumer tech developments at TechCrunch, discussed the effects of these updates. “Meta’s decision reflects an acknowledgment of the growing concerns regarding youth safety on digital platforms,” he stated.
Meta’s proactive stance in implementing parental controls and revising its AI character offerings indicates a recognition of its responsibilities toward younger audiences. As the trials approach, the outcome may influence not only Meta’s future operations but set a precedent for how other social media platforms manage teen engagement.
